The Rolling Stones | Ozzy Osbourne | Hilary Swank
Stones Final Tour: Reunion, Harlem?
Tomorrow, the Rolling Stones, the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world, will make a dramatic announcement — or a bunch of them.
The band that formed in 1962 and has kept the world rapt with both their music and their personal lives will descend from a yellow blimp bearing their red-lips logo onto a field in the Bronx. According to my sources, what they will tell the gathered press corps is sure to be newsworthy. In fact, some of the things they won’t say will be just as big.
For one thing, I am told that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are in discussions with retired bandmates Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman to join them for a few dates of this possible final tour.
Then there is a rumor — still unconfirmed — that the band will play a date at the world famous Apollo Theater here in New York. Since the Stones’ brand of rock is rooted on the R&B made famous at the Apollo, this is sure to be a landmark event.
“They don’t want to call this a 40th anniversary tour,” says my source, “but I think this is definitely the last one.”
Of course, The Who say that every couple of years — and then reunite as if nothing ever happened.
The Apollo date is interesting because it’s tied to a plan my source says will give fans some rare opportunities to see the legendary band for the last time. “They want to alternate a stadium, arena, club in each city,” my source says. “There’s talk that you could buy a package — tickets to all three. For the club date you would be eligible to go, but seated on a first come, first serve basis.”
This part sounds a little tricky to me, but maybe it would work. Or it could be it’s wishful thinking.
At any rate, the Rolling Stones deserve credit, don’t they? Their last good record was 1981’s Tattoo You, but they’ve managed to extend their career for 22 years, issuing albums directly tied to tours.
The group is now considering a box set for a fall release as well, with five or six new songs. Such a box set would be a masterstroke of diplomacy, because the Stones’ recordings fall into two separate categories. Everything through 1971’s “Hot Rocks” album is licensed to Allen Klein’s ABKCO Records. Everything issued after mid-1971 — from Sticky Fingers on — is now at Virgin/EMI after a long life at Atlantic Records. Klein would have to agree to let Virgin have some of his vintage recordings. Of course, everything can be worked out for the right price.
Ozzy’s Kiss, Thanks to Greta Van Susteren
Saturday night’s White House Correspondents Dinner was an impressive affair you could see on CSPAN. However, the Bloomberg Media’s after-party was what really got tongues wagging.
Forget Harrison Ford, Lorraine Bracco, Raquel Welch or show emcee Drew Carey. The only person everyone wanted to meet was Ozzy Osbourne. And they did meet him, thanks to Fox News Channel’s very own Greta Van Susteren .
It was the incomparable Greta who accompanied Ozzy and his wife Sharon, MTV’s answer to Ozzie and Harriet, to the dinner at the Washington Hilton and then to Bloomberg’s party at the Russian Trade Federation.
Ozzy, frankly, appeared to be pickled in liquor all night, finally becoming stiff as a board and sort of glazed over by 11 p.m. His staff says that his newfound fame on MTV has overwhelmed him, but they also cautioned that Osbourne had been drinking all night by the time I met him at the Bloomberg party.
This might account for Ozzy’s incredible enthusiasm for meeting this reporter. During our very friendly conversation, Osbourne exclaimed, “You do like my show, don’t you?” Then, he jumped on me and planted a kiss on my left cheek — a kiss that lasted what seemed like an eternity. After all, this man used to bite off the heads of bats on stage.
Sharon kept saying, “Get off him, Ozzy.” He didn’t particularly listen. Ozzy is happy, Ozzy is ecstatic, Ozzy is getting paid $20 million to keep being Ozzy all next season on MTV.
I thought it was pretty funny when I heard Lorraine Bracco say under her breath, “I think he should see Dr. Melfi.” That’s the name of the psychiatrist she plays on The Sopranos.
Other celebrities packed into the Russian Trade Federation included Ron Silver, Glenn Close, Sally Field, Chloë Sevigny, Shannen Doherty, Peter Horton, Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni, Paula Zahn, Connie Chung, Christie Brinkley and Anna Deveare Smith. There was also a welcome appearance by cybersleuth and meta-linker Matt Drudge.
I was particularly pleased to run into Emmy-winning actress Dana Delany at the Bloomberg party. A knockout in China Beach and the miniseries Wild Palms, Delany is awaiting word on the fate of a new CBS series called Presidio Med which co-stars Blythe Danner (that’s Mama Paltrow to you). The show is produced by John Wells, with whom Delany worked on the exceptional China Beach and who has guided ER and The West Wing for many seasons. If Delany comes back to TV, you can bet she’s an automatic shoo-in for an Emmy nomination. She’s just that good.
There’s an old saying that a star “carried” another actor on his back to success and fame.
Hilary Swank must have felt that way last week. She was seen being carried piggy back style by hubby Chad Lowe down West 57th Street to the corner of Fifth Avenue. My sources say the happy couple was looking for a cab. Swank had complained her feet hurt, so Lowe offered to accommodate the Oscar-winning actress.
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